Hall-bound Welsh honored at Virginia

Posted: Friday, October 08, 2004

By Associated Press

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - George Welsh retired in 2000 as Virginia's career leader in coaching victories, and will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December for his success in 28 years as a coach.

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Welsh also turned 71 this summer, but said prior to Virginia's game against Clemson on Thursday night that he'd like to coach again.

"I'd like to get back in the game, maybe as an assistant in the right program," Welsh said. "There's only three or four spots that I would go."

Welsh spent 19 years at Virginia, compiling a 134-86-3 record and guiding the Cavaliers to the first 10 bowl appearances in their history.

He also directed them to their only No. 1 ranking for three weeks in 1990, and had eight players chosen in the first round of the NFL draft.

As the coach at Navy, his alma mater, from 1973-81, and his teams were 55-46-1 and went to three bowls, making him Navy's winningest coach.

Selected for the hall in April, the university marked the honor by showing a brief video tribute and giving him a certificate at halftime.

Welsh spent his first few years in retirement doing scouting for NFL teams, but gave it up this year. He said he's received only unofficial inquiries about coaching again, none at the Division I-A level.

At the time of his retirement, Welsh's 189-132-4 record was good for 24th on the coaching victories list, and he was ready for some time off.

Rix back at practice, likely won't play

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State quarterback Chris Rix practiced Thursday for the first time in nearly two weeks, but likely will see action against Syracuse on Saturday only if there is an emergency.

"Chris got some work today and he did OK," quarterbacks coach Daryl Dickey said. "He did some stuff on the field with the team, so hopefully he can be in a situation to be called upon if need be."

Rix left with a high right ankle sprain in the first quarter of the eighth-ranked Seminoles' win over Clemson on Sept. 25. Wyatt Sexton replaced Rix and is the current starter for FSU (3-1).

The ankle was taped Thursday. Rix told reporters that the swelling has gone down, but the injury still needs time to fully heal.

Drew Weatherford, Sexton's backup last week, also practiced and could be available. He went down against North Carolina with a similar ankle sprain in his first and only college play.

Dickey said a decision still has not been made regarding Sexton's backup this weekend.

The other options are freshman Xavier Lee, whom the Seminoles want to redshirt, and walk-on Tommy Keane of Miami.

Pack, Heels still fired up about rivalry

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina State coach Chuck Amato has a bit of an advantage when dealing with unhappy alumni. He's one of them.

After earning two degrees at the school, he also began his coaching career there, serving as an assistant for seven years. Amato returned in 2000 to replace head coach Mike O'Cain.

"I can put on my class ring and go to those alumni meetings," he said. "I can tell them, 'Don't throw anything at me.' I can say some things because I've been through this program."

Those ties to N.C. State give Amato a healthy appreciation of the rivalry with North Carolina, which hosts the Wolfpack on Saturday. He played in three games in the series - he and his teammates lost two of them - and he's won three of four as a coach.

"These youngsters all played against each other in high school, so they know each other," Amato said. "Whoever wins gets 365 days of bragging rights."

Tar Heels coach John Bunting also understands. A 1972 graduate of North Carolina, he left his job as linebackers coach with the New Orleans Saints to come back to his alma mater when Carl Torbush was fired in 2000.

"It's a game everybody looks forward to," Bunting said. "It's a game I've been waiting a year to play."

Unfortunately for him, his status as an alum might not be enough to save his job. The Tar Heels are only 7-22 in the past three seasons - including 2-10 a year ago - and many of those losses have been by embarrassing margins in front of the home fans.

Louisville came to the "friendly" confines of Kenan Stadium late last month and left with a 34-0 victory, holding North Carolina to only 222 yards. That was the second loss among three in the past four games, even though Bunting spoke glowingly about his team's performance last week against Florida State.

The Seminoles won 38-16.

"They really played hard, they gave tremendous effort and there was a lot of very good execution out there," he said. "It's becoming increasingly more narrowed down to what the problem is."

Still, the Tar Heels likely will be at least a 10-point underdog against N.C. State, a fact that Amato expectedly tried to downplay.

"There's no edge in games like this," he said. "That's what rivalries are all about. There's so much involved."

Wolfpack cornerback Dovonte Edwards knows that more than most. A native of Chapel Hill, he surprised many of his friends with his decision to attend N.C. State, joining what he called "a handful" of classmates about 25 miles down the road in Raleigh.

His mother, Melissa, sold programs at North Carolina games many years ago, and Edwards had to force members of his family to get rid of their Tar Heel clothing and memorabilia when he joined the Wolfpack.

"I still have a lot of friends that will be rooting for UNC," Edwards said.

He passed on a chance to play for North Carolina mainly because then-coach Torbush told him he couldn't also be a part of the basketball program. Amato gave him that chance, and although injuries kept that from happening, Edwards is satisfied with his decision.

The Tar Heels' struggle certainly helped.

"A lot has changed since then," Edwards said. "If I would have gone there, I'd probably be playing basketball full-time."